Broken Trust
by Kristen3
Summary: Alternate ending to "Mary Richards Falls in Love." After discovering Joe with another woman, she leaves him. But when he asks for one more chance, can she find a way to forgive him? One-shot.


**Author's Note:** I've been watching some of Season 6 lately. Joe has always been one of my favorites of Mary's dates. I thought they really could've been a serious couple if not for the cheating thing. I decided that Mary forgave him a little faster than she should have, so of course I had to do something on that. This is my first time doing an AU TMTMS story, so I hope it's good!

Mary slammed the door behind her. She made the drive back to her apartment in a daze, barely even aware of how she'd gotten home. She walked in the door, not sure what she should do. Should she call Rhoda? Or maybe Mr. Grant? They would both try to comfort her, but she wasn't sure she wanted that right now.

How had everything changed so fast? One minute, she'd been about to tell Joe she loved him, something she'd rarely done with any man. But suddenly, she got the shock of her life. Joe was with another woman! "I don't believe it," Mary said out loud, even though she was alone.

There was a noise behind her. Someone was at the door. She opened it, not knowing who it might be. But there stood Joe. "What are you doing here?"

"I watched you walk out of my apartment, and I knew you might never come back. I couldn't bear it. I know I messed up. Big time. I'm sorry. I don't know what to say, except for that. Just, please, give me another chance."

"You were seeing _another woman_! Here I was, about to tell you how I felt, because I decided it really wasn't that important to hear the words from you. I don't trust people easily, Joe. But I trusted you." She was near tears now.

Joe took a step toward her. None of this was supposed to happen. It was all his own fault. "I know. I wish I could take all of this back. Can't we just start over? When I realized I might lose you, I realized those other women weren't worth it."

"But how do I know you haven't had this conversation with Joan, or whatever her name was?"

"I haven't, I promise. I know it sounds like a cliché, but she didn't mean anything to me. You've gotta believe me, Mary."

"Do I?" Mary asked. A part of her wanted to give in, and pretend like this hadn't happened. It would be easy, but she knew she couldn't. Trust was a fundamental part of a relationship, and he'd ruined that. How could she ever get over that?

"I admitted I've got flaws. I was honest. What more do you want from me?"

"You had no choice but to be honest! You were caught red-handed!" In all the years, all the dates, never had this happened. She'd always assumed that men were grown-up enough to at least be faithful. But now, that security was gone.

"I know I hurt you. And I know I can't ask you to forgive me right now. Just, please, take some time and think about it. I do like women. I can't deny that. But I love _you_."

There they were, the three words Mary had longed to hear from Joe. Hearing them, and realizing how hard they must've been to say, made it hard to maintain her anger. Over the past few years that she'd been living here in Minneapolis, she had learned that fairytales didn't exist. Sure, she still held on to the fantasy of falling love and finally getting married, but it didn't seem to be as simple as she'd thought it was. "Joe, I love you, too. That's what makes this so hard for me. I don't like feeling like this. It's not how love is supposed to be. But this shouldn't be easy for you, either. You really did hurt me."

"I know. And I'm sorry for that. I'll keep saying that as long as you want. We can't end it like this, because of some stupid mistake."

Despite everything, Mary knew Joe really was a wonderful guy. She'd been looking for so long, trying to find a good man. But there just weren't many of them out there. Joe was the best she'd found in a long time. "Oh, Joe..." Once again, she could feel tears starting.

This time, Joe knew what he had to do. He put his arms around Mary. She was hurting, and it was his fault.

Mary felt herself relax as Joe's arms came around her. She knew she couldn't be angry anymore, even if she wanted to be. Suddenly, she remembered the conversation she'd had with Rhoda the other night. Rhoda was always so strong and confident, never at a loss for what to say. Would she have approved of Mary giving in so quickly? She decided it didn't matter.

Her future with Joe was uncertain. But then, wasn't the future always uncertain? Ever since she'd come to Minneapolis, each day seemed to hold something new. Being cheated on was the worst thing she'd ever experienced, but she'd survived. So, whatever the future held, Mary knew she could handle it. Just as she always had.

 **The End**


End file.
